The Common Dog Training and Walking

04/23/2025

Nanaimo walks are booking now, with Jenna ! 🐾

We’re kicking things off with Monday + Friday morning walks - perfect for exercise, leash skills, and calm social time.

New clients: head to our website to get started.
Current/past clients: message us through Time to Pet!

04/17/2025

We’re taking a little pause for Good Friday 🐾

The Common Dog will be closed on Friday, April 18th so our team (and our pups!) can enjoy a well-earned break.

We’ll be back to wagging tails and structured fun on Monday, April 21st with business as usual!

Enjoy the long weekend - from our families to yours 🐕🌷

04/09/2025

Supporting our community's grads! 🥳🎉

Here's a fun peek at one of many amazing items we'll have at our April 13 silent auction at the Cobblestone Pub

The Common Dog Training and Walking has donated two walk-and-train sessions and a structured walk! At over $200 value, this is an amazing item to add to your bidding wish list! Have a pooch at home who could use some outdoor time with caring guides who focus on obedience practice, confidence building, socialization, and state of mind? This is your item!

04/08/2025

Still looking for the right fit for you and your dog? 👀

At The Common Dog, we focus on intentional training, clear communication, and building a solid relationship between you and your pup. 🐶💛

We have two great walk options:

🚶‍♀️ Structured Walks: calm, focused outings that support leash manners, boundaries, and real-world skills
🌲 Off-Leash Adventure Hikes: safe, small-group hikes on private trails designed for fun, freedom, and continued recall work

We get energy out AND build confidence, trust, and responsiveness. 🙌

Serving the Cowichan Valley and surrounding areas.

📲 Ready to get started? Hit the link in our bio, we’d love to meet you!

03/28/2025

We’re now offering Off-Leash Adventure Hikes starting this April! Small groups, private trails, tons of enrichment, and structured recall practice 🙌 aka the best day ever for your pup. 🐶✨

✔️ 2-hour hikes
✔️ Max 5 dogs per group
✔️ Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
✔️ $45/dog | $30 for additional family dog on the same hike

Dogs must have friendly social skills, basic recall, and be okay riding with a buddy 🚗🐕

💬 Want your dog to join the fun? Get in touch through our website, and select “off leash hikes” on our contact form. Feel free to shoot us a message for the link to all the details!

03/10/2025

Before heading into the distractions of the great outdoors:

1️⃣ Start indoors where it’s quiet, use a hallway or a familiar room.

2️⃣ Use treats or praise to mark when they stay by your side.

3️⃣ Take small steps, gradually build focus before adding more distance or distractions.

4️⃣ Stay consistent short, regular sessions work best.

Struggling to make progress or feeling stuck? We’re here to help! Our Walk & Train sessions guide you and your dog to more confident, structured walks - without the frustration. 🐶❤️

📲 Get in touch to learn more: www.thecommondog.ca

02/21/2025

Calm energy = a calm dog. 🐾

✨ Your dog is always tuning into you—your body language, your tone, even your emotions. If you’re tense, frustrated, or anxious, your dog will mirror that energy. But if you lead with confidence, patience, and calmness, your dog will feel more secure and respond in kind.

💡 How to set the tone for your dog:

✔️ Breathe & relax – Take a deep breath before handling the leash. Your energy matters!

✔️ Stand tall & move with purpose – Your dog looks to you for direction. Walk with confidence.

✔️ Keep corrections neutral – Frustration won’t help; stay firm but fair.

✔️ Reward calm behavior – Praise and reinforce when your dog is relaxed and focused.

Whether you’re walking a reactive dog, working through training, or simply trying to have a peaceful stroll, your energy is the foundation. Dogs take cues from us, so be the leader they need ❤️ calm, assertive, and steady.

Try it on your next walk: start with your own energy first, and watch how your dog follows. 🐕✨

02/04/2025

A calm start = a calmer walk! 🐾

✨ Before you even step outside, set the tone by asking your dog to sit and focus on you and your lead at the door.

Why? Because the way your dog leaves the house is often the way they’ll behave on the walk! If they rush out the door, pulling and overstimulated, that energy will carry into the walk. But if they start off calm, engaged, and tuned in to you, you’re setting the foundation for a more structured, enjoyable walk together.

💡 Try this before every walk:
✔️ Ask for a sit at the door 🚪
✔️ Wait for eye contact or a moment of focus 👀
✔️ Only step out when they’re calm (not when they’re pulling or whining!)
✔️ Repeat if needed—consistency is key! 🔁

This small habit helps your dog learn that walks start with following your lead, not their impulses. Over time, you’ll see more engagement, better leash manners, and a smoother walk from start to finish. 🐕💨

Give it a try before your next walk and let us know how it goes! ⬇️

01/26/2025

Great news, we have some Walk & Train availability opening up now, with more coming soon!

🗓️ When: Weekday Afternoons
📍 Where: Ladysmith/Cedar/Yellowpoint
🐾 Who: With Emily
🐕‍🦺 Best Suited for: Reactivity, manners around people, heel command, leash pressure and leash manners, calm behaviour around other dogs and other distractions.

Other things your should know: Our walk and train sessions are 1 hour long. We come to your home and pick up your dog and go to a park, store, neighbourhood or trail, to work with your dog on specific behaviours needing more training or practice. After the session, we will give a brief recap of what we worked on.

Fill out our contact form at www.thecommondog.ca to get in touch. More availability in different areas coming soon, stay tuned!

01/14/2025

That’s right, we will be re-starting walks in Nanaimo with Jenna 🐾 😁

We will be working to have walks Monday and Friday mornings - get in touch via our website for new clients and through our Time to Pet portal for current/past clients if you’d like to know more and find out if your pup is a good fit!

Our structured walks are not only a great form of exercise, they are also a great opportunity to work on calm interactions between dogs, hone leash skills, and overall good manners!

01/02/2025

… And don’t forget to take a break! Sometimes it’s necessary to pause and maintain whatever stage you are at, even if it isn’t the end goal, before forging ahead to the next stage!

Have you ever hit a plateau with dog training? How did you get past it? Tell us below!

12/15/2024

Grateful for this amazing group of women!

🎅 Third Annual Cowichan Valley Dog Walkers Christmas Party 🤶

I absolutely love the ladies in this group. We have a job that is so rewarding and tons of fun, but we wander into the unknown everyday. Communication from this group makes life so much easier. From "fresh deer carcass dumped on so and so trail" to " dirt bikers headed your way" and if your really lucky you get car tips by Natalie who recently told me to "hit my starter with a hammer" when it was making that dreaded grinding sound 😆 Love these ladies !! 🐾❤️

Rhiannon Tails on Trails
Emma Hot Dogs Dog Walking Services
Jess & Natalie Instinct K9 Services
Kelsey & Preslie Walk N Roll Adventures & Obedience
Brook & Bella The Common Dog Training and Walking
Tess

12/09/2024

Clear boundaries and expectations aren’t just for you—they’re what your dog needs to thrive too.

When you set the right tone, life becomes more enjoyable for everyone. Let’s work together to create that calm, fulfilling bond you’ve always wanted.

If you are looking to tackle challenging behaviours with the support of an experienced trainer in the new year, get in touch now through or website!

www.thecommondog.ca

12/02/2024

That's a wrap on our Urban Skills and Obedience Group Class run by Emily!

We've just completed the last class of the year, as now the weather is consistently wet, cold and dark! We had excellent reviews and feedback on this class, Emily did a fantastic job.

We are looking forward to next year and the new offerings we have coming up!

Stay tuned and until then, keep practicing! 🐾

11/26/2024

The Common Dog is looking for a dog walker to join our team! 🐾

This is a part-time position, Monday through Friday, and will mainly focus on the areas of Shawnigan, Cobble Hill, and some parts of Duncan. Packs of 3 or 4 dogs per walk.

This is not your average dog walking job. We prioritize each dogs' training, behaviour, mindset, and calm socialization with the pack. We work with all kinds of personalities and behaviours, calm and happy, as well as anxious, nervous, and fearful. There is also the opportunity to grow with the company and offer additional services as off leash walks and house/pet sitting.

What we're looking for:

• Motivated, reliable, and fridenly

• Able to work alone

• Patient, calm and confident personality.

• Experience working with dogs

• Own reliable vehicle to transport dogs in.

Please send your resume to [email protected] .

🐾🐾

11/25/2024

🐾 Heads up!

We wanted to let you know that The Common Dog team will be taking a little break to slow down and enjoy the holidays with our loved ones.

🐾 Our walking and training services will be paused from Monday, December 23rd, to Friday January 3rd. We’ll resume walks and our regular schedule on Monday, January 6th.

11/08/2024

PSA: If you are struggling with any challenging behaviours with your dog and you frequent dog parks - I highly recommend exploring other ways to get out with your dog 🐾

Here are some options:

- Hiking Trails and Nature Walks – Explore local hiking trails or nature paths where dogs are welcome. The change of scenery and new smells are exciting for your dog, and the natural terrain offers a great workout! If you find one of the draws to dog parks is time with your friends - invite them to join you on the trails instead!

- Structured On-Leash Pack Walks – We have recently had a few spots open up, get in touch through our website to see if it’s a good fit for you and your dog.

- Interactive Backyard Games – Try games like fetch, hide and seek, or agility exercises in your backyard.

10/16/2024

Join us Saturday October 26th for our next Community Walk at Transfer Beach in Ladysmith! Fine tune skills, expose your dog to a new situation with clear boundaries and guidelines, and ask questions!

🐾 These events were free of charge in the past - we will now be charging $30 per person/dog who attends the community walk. The fees will support keeping these walks going & go towards our lovely staff 💛

Please keep these rules in mind for a pleasant and safe experience for everyone:

🐾 All dogs must be on leash

🐾 Absolutely no leash greetings. This includes sniffs, playing and interacting in general.

🐾 During the exercises and the walk, please keep your dogs under control, on a short leash and in heel position.

🐾 Please keep a 4-6ft distance between you and any other dog & handler.

🐾 Please remember, most of the dogs attending are nervous, reactive or uncomfortable around dogs. Please give them space at all times.

Sign-Up through our website: https://www.thecommondog.ca/groupclasses Drop in is welcome, but pre-registering is appreciated 🙏